“Tom’s got two fellows to stand by him, but I am left alone,” thought Noble, with no little bitterness in his heart. “Prime and the rest of them pretend to hate Wayring and his crowd, and yet they are willing to stay and help on the sports after I have been kicked out of the lists. For two cents I’d hunt up Wayring and tell him to look out for Scott and Lord.”
But he didn’t do it. He knew that such a proceeding would turn every body against him, and he had made enemies enough already. Without attracting attention he got into his canoe and paddled down to his boat-house.
The unfortunate ending of the paddle race had a most depressing effect upon the members of the canoe club, some of whom declared that their organization was on the eve of falling to pieces. After that every thing “dragged”. The whole programme was duly carried out, but the contestants did not enter into the sports with their usual spirit and energy. Scott and Lord, who were “booked” for the sailing and upset races, respectively, won nothing at all. They could not win fairly, and the promptness with which Tom and Frank had been ruled out deterred them from attempting any tricks. Arthur Hastings won the paddle race after a hard struggle; Joe Wayring, being the first to walk the greasy pole, carried off Miss Arden’s silk flag; and Roy for once went home as empty handed as he came, the sailing and upset races being won by other boys. But Roy wasn’t mad about it, as some of the unsuccessful ones were. He had come there for a “good time”, and he had it; and his failure to win a prize did not spoil his day’s sport.
After the spectators had gone back to their hotels and all the members of the club had set out for home, the three chums sat down in the boat-house to compare notes.
“I am glad it’s over,” said Roy, giving expression to the thoughts that were passing through the minds of his companions. “It was the meanest meet I ever heard of. I wouldn’t have had that affair at the stake-boat happen for any thing. Those visitors from New London will say that we are as bad as the professional oarsmen who saw their boats, and capsize themselves on purpose.”
“Well, you expected something of the kind, didn’t you?” said Joe. “I did. When Bigden told me that there were certain boys in the club who had been ‘booked’ to win certain races, I was sure that Prime had a finger in the pie, and that the reason Tom told me about it was because he had got mad at him or some member of his party. The events of the day have proved that I was right. In making up the slate, Prime and his friends either forgot or refused to give any of the races to Tom and his cousins, and that was what caused the trouble.”